Culture Archives - Page 2 of 2

Discipline and the Broken Windows Theory

Over the last few years a lot has been written about Lean leadership. For instance about what the differences would be between Lean and traditional leadership. And what the characteristics are of a Lean leader. One of the aspects often missing, I feel, is “discipline”. I have always told my managers that they weren’t paid more because they would supposedly be more intelligent or because they studied for a longer period of time, but because I expected them to be the most disciplined in respecting standards. As without the manager’s respect – also interestingly described in the “broken windows” theory – the organization as a whole will flout its own rules. (more…)

Rid Yourself of the Trade-Off

Not so long ago I came across a few pictures that were posted on LinkedIn that aroused my attention. They touched upon a theme that has been slumbering in my mind for quite a while, namely that off the always returning phenomenon of the trade-off. The pictures that gad around the Internet were about good quality not being possible in combination with speedy service and a very competitive price; you can’t have it all, so it seems. A trade-off indicates an optimization problem; making the best choice considering multiple variables and their interdependence. But unfortunately, optimization assumes certain dependencies instead of challenging the thinking behind these presumed interdependencies. It’s time to get rid of the trade-off! (more…)

Problem Attitude: Having Any Problems?

Throughout the years I have had the opportunity to work for and with many organizations and teams. And all of them had their own way of dealing with problems. Some were not aware of their problems, and also saw no need to change this; others did see their problems, but — like some kind of Pavlov reaction — declared these as just being part of doing business and swept their problems under the carpet. Other organizations certainly are aware of their problems and some see these even as opportunities to improve their business. Finally, in certain organizations, even the absence of problems is seen as a problem. In what kind of organization are you working? (more…)

Lean Culture: Inseparable of what Lean ís!

Culture is often indicated as one of the most important aspects of the Lean journey towards perfection. At the same time, culture seems to be one of the most elusive aspects. Norms, values, convictions, morals, attitude, behavior, habits and leadership are examples of themes that are discussed when we talk about culture. Some posts and articles also discuss the importance of national or local culture, and question whether Lean is not too much interconnected with Japanese culture to become a success outside of Japan. Already in 1983, a Dutch article about kanban by Wortmann and Durlinger concluded that it would not be possible to fully implement kanban in the Netherlands due to cultural differences related to moral, employee involvement and team awareness. Still, it is my own experience that organizations that are seriously following the Lean road create such strong cultures of their own, that in the end these organizational cultures transcend national or local cultures. (more…)

Worthless Discussions and the Socratic Method

One of the most difficult aspects of accompanying organizational transformations like when a company starts off on their Lean journey, is restraining your zeal. And this is particularly the case when statements are made and opinions are ventilated that run counter to the principles and ideas of the (internal) consultant or coach or even the Lean principles for that matter. The Socratic method of motivation, however, presumes interaction without any presuppositions, without any value judgment. It stresses non-value-based, or one could say “worthless”, interaction. It isn’t about the values and norms of the coach, but about the ball being in the organization’s court. It is an important approach in creating an autonomous Lean organization, but in some situations also not the only one. (more…)

Lean Evolution: Experiencing the Effects of Lean

Over the last year I have worked with a client on introducing, developing and securing Lean Management on various locations in the Netherlands and abroad. Recently, a more formal evaluation with top management and the management of the involved locations took place. It’s always interesting then, to hear how Lean Management is actually experienced across an organization. Through this blog post I thought it would be nice to share some of these experiences with my readers. Lean Management is sometimes interpreted as only a technique, although I think that in the end it involves a complete turnaround in the way people think and act with consequences for the associates, managers, the mutual relations and collaboration, processes and problem-solving, performance and customers. (more…)